<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>you and me and a song by Emmandroid</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29427225">you and me and a song</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmandroid/pseuds/Emmandroid'>Emmandroid</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Prom, i swear this is cute</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:22:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29427225</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmandroid/pseuds/Emmandroid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's prom season at their high school and Taeyong's dad is ecstatic with anticipation. The problem is... Taeyong isn't going.</p><p>🤵🤵</p><p>title taken from dance with you, from netflix's prom (by which this is loosely inspired)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>65</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>you and me and a song</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They’re “peacefully” having dinner as a family when Ten spontaneously and excitedly broaches the topic. “Taeyong, dear, my sources tell me prom is coming up at your school. Why haven’t you mentioned anything?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong literally has a string of noodles still dangling from his mouth. Why is his dad bringing this up at this exact instant? He resignedly slurps his spaghetti, chews carefully, then dabs at the corner of his mouth with his napkin. When he’s set it back down on the table, he looks up at his dad then calmly proffers, “Because I’m not going.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All hell breaks loose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?! What do you mean you’re not going?” Ten’s eyes bulge out of their sockets and he rises from his seat. He is </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span>…intense. Taeyong finds himself reflexively leaning back in his chair, surprised at how invested his father apparently is about prom. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Taeyong’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> prom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ten, baby, you’re scaring Taeyong.” Johnny gently places a hand over his husband’s own and then squeezes, which calms Ten enough to take his seat and school his features into a semblance of composure. He coughs slightly, then takes a moment to collect his thoughts before he continues, “Sorry, Tae. But can I ask… </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>you aren’t going to prom?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because Jae isn’t out. It’s as simple as that. So we’ll both ditch prom and he’ll come here and we’ll marathon our favorite rom coms.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds good,” agrees Johnny, giving him a small smile. Taeyong is infinitely relieved that at least one of his fathers is on his side, though that </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> only to be expected from his appa. Meanwhile...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad…wait, are you crying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, tears are running down Ten’s cheeks, and then he brings a hand to his mouth to stifle the sound of his swelling sobs. From beside him, Johnny looks concerned but not surprised (they’ve been together two decades so he’s no longer fazed by Ten’s quickfire vacillations in mood), simply stroking his back in quiet consolation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Contrary to his appa, though, Taeyong </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> surprised. Why is his dad overreacting to this news? “Dad, why are you crying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’ve been dreaming about you attending prom since your first day in preschool, and it breaks my heart that you aren’t going,” Ten replies between bursts of fresh tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you so fixated on this anyway, dad? It’s not </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> prom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That effectively stops Ten from his crying. Only now both of his fathers are looking straight at him, gaping, shocked...and disappointed? Taeyong is still highly confused by this unexpected turn in their dinnertime conversation, but one thing he’s certain of is he just messed up. And it is not a good feeling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tae, I think you should take your plate with you to your bedroom. We’ll talk to you later, okay, son?” His appa has just excused him, but with a serene smile on his face while he does, so Taeyong thinks he isn’t in trouble? But as he stands up to leave, hands empty because he’d already lost his appetite anyway, he’s still so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> confused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>🤵🤵</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong is lying in bed, dazedly scrolling through his phone, when two muted knocks sound on his bedroom door. “Come in, it isn’t locked.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door opens slowly and he looks up to see his dad quietly stepping into his room. He’s no longer crying, if anything he’s actually smiling slightly, but his eyes are still red and puffy, betraying the emotional ordeal they just went through at dinnertime. Taeyong sits up and tucks his knees to his chest, giving his dad ample space to sit on the bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten just looks at Taeyong in silence for a couple of beats, and then he takes his hand and starts, “Tae, baby, I am so infinitely sorry for what happened tonight. I ruined spaghetti Tuesday for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In spite of everything that’s gone down in the past number of hours, Taeyong still finds himself chuckling at that. Though the observation </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> not untrue, the heated talk about prom did spoil his appetite: a tough feat considering how much he adores and craves his appa’s pomodoro.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess I owe you an explanation, don’t I? I’m sure that whole thing was just very confusing for you.” Taeyong only nods shyly in response, letting his dad continue with the speech he so obviously composed before coming here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, it’s storytime then. You know I only came out halfway through college, right?” Another quiet nod from Taeyong. “But come to think of it I was already a flaming gay even in high school. I guess my peers just let it slide thinking it came with the, shall we say, artistic temperament. Not to say I wasn’t bullied. It was the 80s: of course the jocks picked on the misfits. Though I have to admit I didn’t have it as bad as others like us. So anyway, going back to the point, I never did go to my prom. I was supposed to, heck I was already there outside the gymnasium. Picture this, Tae: I was wearing a metallic silver tux with turquoise piping.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten and Taeyong share a good laugh as they jointly visualize said outfit. Taeyong has to cringe; he has so many questions: Why had his dad gone for a gay Reynolds wrap concept? Who even agreed to tailor that? What shoes did he wear with it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Ten continues his story, putting a hold on Taeyong’s endless litany of misgivings about his father’s prom attire. “But do you know why I didn’t go inside the gymnasium? Because just then my crush </span>
  <span>—</span>
  <span> this football player I had a thing on, being the cliché closeted gay boy I was </span>
  <span>— walked up the stairs right in front of me, looking so gorgeous and so...</span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span> in his black tux and bowtie, with a pretty little cheerleader hanging off his arm. He looked at me, then he knit his eyebrows ever so slightly, turned his face back just as quickly, and disappeared through the doors. And that’s when I realized...I didn’t belong there. So I bolted: back down the steps, against the crowd; and I didn’t stop running until five blocks down, when I was already winded and had to catch my breath. And I walked the rest of the way home, crying, because I thought I made such a fool of myself to even imagine that someone like me could go to prom. And because I hadn’t broken in my shoes yet and my feet hurt.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong squeezes his father’s hand then, as he starts to realize why he had been as invested as he is about prom. Because it’s only through Taeyong, his son, that Ten can satisfy his dreams of prom that he’d reluctantly abandoned as a teeanger, all those years ago.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, dad. It breaks my heart to hear what you just told me…. But it still doesn’t change the fact that I can’t go to prom myself. Because Jaehyun can’t go to prom with me. And I don’t need to be there if he isn’t with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong sees the disappointment in his father’s eyes then, though he doesn’t think it’s directed at him. And then he sees the disappointment gradually shift into resignation, and with one last hug and a kiss to his cheek, his dad assures him that he understands, wishes him a good night, and leaves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And as Taeyong remains seated on his bed, long after the sound of his father’s footsteps on the hallway has receded, yes, his earlier confusion has been dispelled. But now he’s so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> miserable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>🤵🤵</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Disgusting,” complains Doyoung in a disgruntled tone and with a snarky roll of his eyes. Taeyong, still retrieving books from his locker, doesn’t have to look behind him to know the current object of his best friend’s ire. And honestly, same.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he finally does snap his locker closed and turn around (Doyoung’s face has not moved an inch, glare still intense and pointed in the same direction), one of their female batchmates is clutching a bouquet in her hands and beaming up at the football jock who presumably gave her said flowers. It isn’t even second period yet and Taeyong has already witnessed three of the same incidents: guy asks girl to prom, girl says yes, they hug, he twirls her, sets her down, and then they go skipping down the hallway holding hands. Predictable. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He isn’t as bitter as Doyoung (“that’s because you actually have a boyfriend, you little shit, even though you aren’t going to prom”) but quite frankly he’s seen enough prom-posals and would much like this day to end already. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What I don’t understand is why they all chose today to ask their girlfriends out to prom, or why they even have to ask in the first place: they’re dating, isn’t it a given they’ll go to prom together? And can they not ask them out in private? Why do they have to subject the rest of the student body to the proposal? Do they need witnesses, is that it? Are they heading to the lawyer’s next to draft a contract and have it notarized?” Okay so maybe Taeyong is a little bitter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Doyoung just stares him down then, arms crossed and shoulder resting on his locker (they have not yet moved from their position, even when prom dates number three have already hopped along to their next class in romantic bliss). He raises an eyebrow, which Taeyong interprets as either “Do you honestly have to ask?” or “Are you really going to get me started?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong, the reason everyone and their mother decided to choose this goddamn day to ask their SO’s out to prom is because the hets have a hive brain: some jock on the football team, Chris or Tyler or Dylan or whichever basic white boy, probably messaged their chatbox, ‘yo bros i’m asking kayley out to prom tomorrow’ and all the other basic white boys probably replied with:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>yo homie congrats</span>
</p><p>
  <span>that’s my man</span>
</p><p>
  <span>hey bro do u think i should ask stacey out to prom tomorrow</span>
</p><p>
  <span>duuuuuude u should totally ask stacey out tomorrow</span>
</p><p>
  <span>ayt ayt nice then u ask camille</span>
</p><p>
  <span>brooooooo…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>same </span>
</p><p>
  <span>same </span>
</p><p>
  <span>same</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was quite specific, Doyoung.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold up, I’m not finished.” Doyoung literally has a finger on Taeyong’s lips right now. So he quietly nods and lets his friend continue his imagining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now where was I? Oh yes: the reason they have to do it in public is because in this current age of social media, people feel that they have to broadcast all of their business to the world, as if every single action has to be documented and posted for it to count as doing something. And never mind that they actually only scroll through their phones when they’re together and fight about literally everything, so long as the Internet is convinced they’re a happy couple and comment ‘oh my god u two look so good together,’ ‘what a perfect pair.’ So of course they’ll ask each other out in school: because any relationship they still have only survives on these recurrent public demonstrations of romance, which they think incites their classmates’ attention and envy, which in turn fuels their ego and deludes them into thinking they’re in a gratifying relationship and they have their life together, when really they’re not and they don’t…. That’s it I’m done.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong is, quite honestly, speechless. “Wow, Doyoung. Should I be concerned? Do you need to talk anything else out? Do you need me to ask my appa if he has any therapist colleagues in the city?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am fine, Taeyong. I was just generously answering your questions.” He says this through gritted teeth, convincing Taeyong that Doyoung is in fact </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> fine, but he’ll just let him cool down for the time being. Though he does make a mental note to ask his father for those contacts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then he registers Jaehyun entering the corridor, who has already noticed Taeyong and is giving him a wink and a dimpled side smile. Taeyong is about to give a nod and a smile in acknowledgment but then a cheerleader stands in front of Jaehyun and bars him in his steps. Doyoung notices his sudden silence and follows the direction of his gaze, letting out a muted “ah” when he registers the scene unfolding before them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From their distance, Taeyong doesn’t hear the conversation loud enough for the girl to be intelligible but he’s sure he gets the gist, with the way she’s faux demurely twirling her ponytail and smiling up at Jaehyun, </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> boyfriend. Jaehyun politely hears her out but shakes his head when she’d finished talking, mouthing “sorry” if Taeyong’s lip reading is correct. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl then graciously steps aside and lets Jaehyun pass, though the rejection has left her visibly, understandably, dejected as she walks in the opposite direction. Jaehyun gives him another, albeit more reserved, smile when he passes him, but he doesn’t stop in front of him, just continues on his way to AP calc (Taeyong knows his schedule by heart).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if Taeyong is being honest, although it stung to watch a girl proposition his boyfriend right in front of him, what hurts him more is that Jaehyun just passed him by afterwards, fully knowing he’d witnessed the ordeal and could use some reassurance. He doesn’t take it against Jaehyun, because they really don’t acknowledge each other in public. But then he remembers why they can’t acknowledge each other in public, and the secrecy shatters his heart. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go, Tae?” Doyoung places a hand on his arm and gently steers them to class, and in his eyes Taeyong sees two sentiments conveyed: “I understand and empathize with you” but also “Bitch, we’re gonna be late.” Taeyong lets himself be steered. He’ll save the musing for tonight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>🤵🤵</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong and Jaehyun are in the former’s bedroom, as they’re wont to do after class when Jaehyun doesn’t have sports training. Jaehyun is cross-legged on the floor filling out his calc worksheet on the edge of Taeyong’s bed; while his boyfriend is lying on his front and going through his physics textbook for a quiz, all the while lazily running his fingers through Jaehyun’s hair, a mutually soothing activity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jaehyun takes pride in their ability to actually get things done even in each other’s presence; although he does enjoy these little acts of physical intimacy and Taeyong’s general presence beside him, warm and steadily breathing, and sometimes sneezing in that cute little way that’s unique to him. He knows for a fact that his teammates never get any actual studying done when with their girlfriends, simply using their academics as a front and a code for making out (and all that it leads to). Jaehyun knows this because they won’t stop bragging about it in the locker room, as if it were a testament to their partner’s irresistible charms and attractiveness, when really to Jaehyun it only speaks of the boys’ irresponsibility and lack of restraint. God he can’t stand his teammates.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then he thinks about how his teammates are only brazen about their exploits because they can afford to. No one bats an eye at their locker room talk because they think it’s only natural and expected (“boys will be boys”). Meanwhile here he is in Taeyong’s bedroom not for sex but because it is literally the only place where they’re safe to be together. Not even at Jaehyun’s own house, when his parents still constantly harp about setting him up with their colleagues’ daughters. And most definitely not in school and out on the town, when he’s terrified of how his peers will treat him if they find out that he’s gay. That’s why as chummy as he may seem with his teammates, he never really thinks of them as friends: he knows he’s only one uncovered secret away from alienation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A penny for your thoughts?” Jaehyun snaps to attention, broken out of his internal tirade by Taeyong’s soft voice and softer eyes. Of course Taeyong would know when he’s blanking out from overthinking and not because he’s stumped on an equation. He lifts Taeyong’s hand off of his head and brings it to his cheek. Taeyong gets the message and caresses him indulgently. He’s so soft, so lovely, so good to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry you had to witness what you did this morning.” They haven’t really talked about the unsolicited prom-posal yet, going straight to their schoolwork after Jaehyun set his backpack down on the bedroom floor and gave Taeyong a quick peck on the lips. But he knows it was not a pleasant experience for Taeyong. Jaehyun glanced over to him while the girl was asking him out: he saw how Taeyong’s features tightened and his eyes glossed over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to apologize, Jae. And I’m sure it was even more uncomfortable for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well it sure was that. You’d think I would have grown desensitized by the fourth time but it was no less uncomfortable…. Though I really do want to apologize to you, Tae. That wouldn’t have happened had I been out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong’s face shifts then, his hand stills where it was stroking Jaehyun’s cheek; he sits up in bed, holds Jaehyun’s face in both his hands, and looks at him with that quietly fierce determination that Jaehyun has always admired. “You have nothing to apologize for, Jae. It is not </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> fault. It is not </span>
  <em>
    <span>our </span>
  </em>
  <span>fault that we have to hide a part of ourselves because the rest of society only conditionally loves and respects us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to go to prom, though, Tae?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t have to, Jae.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t answer the question.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong opens his mouth but doesn’t speak. They’ve always been absolutely honest with each other, not to mention Taeyong can’t lie.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to go to prom, Tae?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong starts to get frustrated. He takes his hands back and tucks his legs to his chest, briefly burying his face in the crook of his knees before looking back down at Jaehyun and looking disconcerted.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite frankly, I don’t know, Jae. I don’t know whether or not I want to go to prom, because I’ve always known I wasn’t going. Because there’s no point of me going if you aren’t there with me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong then takes Jaehyun’s hands in his before he continues. “I don’t know if I want to go to prom, but I do know that I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go. Jaehyun, I’ll never ask you to come out because that is something only you get to decide. And I never want you to feel like you have to do it on my behalf, or because I’ve done it. Jae, I’m aware of how lucky I am to have two dads, because I never had to worry about them treating me any differently when I came out. I’m aware that if you and I had swapped places, I’d be scared as hell too. That’s why I’ll never pressure you to tell anyone that you’re gay. But I’ll be here when you do…. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Besides, we can always stage our own prom here, right? You, me, my dads </span>
  <span>— </span>
  <span>we can hang dollar-store streamers in the living room, buy mood lights online, dress up in tuxedos, dance. And I’m pretty sure my dads will let us drink. And it won’t be some cheap, spiked punch. Or... we can still do that rom com marathon like we’d planned, but we can still hang streamers and buy mood lights; and when we watch Maid of Manhattan, when J Lo walks into the ball, I’ll go inside then come out of the bathroom, and you’ll be Ralph Fiennes and tell me I’m beautiful even though I’m actually in pajamas, and we’ll slow dance while they are, and it will be no less magical as going to prom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure do paint an attractive picture, Tae.”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Right? I just want you to know that prom isn’t prom without you, Jae. And whether we celebrate it at school with our classmates, at home with my dads, or here in my bedroom with no one else watching, I’ll be every bit as happy and every bit in love with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Over the course of his speech, Taeyong finds himself settling down in Jaehyun’s lap, arms naturally wrapping around Jaehyun’s shoulders, hands clasped at Jaehyun’s nape and gently caressing the hair at the back of his head. And right at the end their eyes are level, gazing fondly at each other, and Jaehyun’s mind stops running, his anxieties dissipating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Taeyong, I am so in love with you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They kiss, and Jaehyun, for once, feels invincible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>🤵🤵</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s prom day. Taeyong and Jaehyun had ultimately decided to have their own prom in the Suh home. It’s strange that it’s Taeyong’s house but it’s Jaehyun who’d taken the lead and coordinated with his dads about planning. Taeyong’s dads had even banned him from going into the living room today so as not to spoil the surprise. “I want to see your genuine first reaction,” Jaehyun had told him over the phone this morning, after his dad had literally shoved him into his bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong is now standing in front of the mirror, compulsively combing his hair, straightening his bow tie, and wiping nonexistent lint off his lapels. He and Jaehyun decided on matching white suits and black bow ties, which his dads had generously sponsored for the both of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the middle of his nth attempt to fix his hair (not that it actually made any difference because he’d gelled it down), he hears a gentle knock on the door and then his dad is peeking in and entering his bedroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god. Dad, you didn’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did. Voila.” Taeyong’s dads also dressed up and will participate in their DIY prom, which Taeyong is absolutely ecstatic about: it had broken his heart to find that his dad didn’t go to his own prom, so Taeyong is glad they can share this memory as father-and-son, never mind that it’s a couple decades overdue. And sure his dad might not have gone to prom with that football jock crush of his, but taking your husband to prom should be so much more meaningful and gratifying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cut to the present: Ten is donning an updated version of his silver tux with turquoise piping, grinning proudly and twirling in front of Taeyong. He even has on metallic blue eyeshadow and smoky eyes to complete the look. With his vivacious energy (and his height), Taeyong could believe he was face-to-face with his father’s 17-year-old version on his prom night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then another gentle knock; Taeyong and Ten both turn in the direction of the door, where Johnny is peeking in and then entering the bedroom, the way his husband did just a couple of minutes previous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, the two of you look beautiful.” Johnny has the slightest tears in his eyes as he expresses this sentiment, looking fondly at his husband and his son in front of him. Then he wraps an arm each around the both of them and pulls them in for one of his signature family bear hugs, which have unfailingly brought Taeyong a resolute sense of comfort since he was a little boy, scared of everything. He chuckles then lovingly looks up at his fathers, endlessly grateful for their unwavering support and devotion. He hopes he thanks them enough, but just to be sure he says it now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, appa, dad. For this and everything. I’m so lucky to call both of you my parents.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All three pairs of eyes have started to flat out water at this point, and then Ten takes a handkerchief from one of his pants pockets and delicately dabs at his face. “I had the sense enough to wear waterproof makeup because I knew this would happen, but we have to stop crying before we’ve even started dancing, you two!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So they laugh and untangle themselves from the embrace. “Oh right, I almost forgot why I came up here in the first place. Tae, Jaehyun’s just arrived.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong’s heart rate picks up. This is it. “Alright, let’s get this started.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>🤵🤵</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten and Johnny go down first because they want to take a video of Taeyong walking down the steps and Jaehyun looking up at him from the living room. “Since the two of you aren’t watching rom coms tonight, you’ll be </span>
  <em>
    <span>in</span>
  </em>
  <span> a rom com tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong counts down from five minutes and then with one last look in the mirror (one last pat at his hair, one last squeeze at his bowtie), he takes a deep breath and exits the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sees Jaehyun right away from the top of the stairs. He paired his tux with a black, instead of a white, polo; eyes beaming with awe and adoration, and Taeyong is sure this same look of enchantment is mirrored in his own features.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong only realizes Jaehyun has one hand behind him when he’s already standing in front of him, and then he’s proffering two identical white orchid corsages. They share a shy chuckle at the formality of it all, then promptly wrap a corsage around each other’s wrist. When Taeyong looks up, he sees his dads quietly and lovingly watching the interaction (and taking pictures). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then Jaehyun takes Taeyong’s hand and says, “Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go where?” The beginnings of confusion manifest in the rise of his eyebrow and questioning tone of his voice. They are literally already standing on their makeshift dance floor, that is, their living room with the furniture pushed to the side. Are they going to the kitchen to grab a drink?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go to school.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taeyong’s jaw drops. When he flicks his eyes over to his dads, sure that they had heard Jaehyun’s reply, they only have matching, placid smiles on their faces. What is happening? This was not the deal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Remember when we talked about prom in your room? About how we could stage our own prom here because you would never ask me to out myself? The thing is, Tae…you made me want to be honest then. So I went home and came out to my parents over dinner. I’ll get into that some other time but the gist of it is they aren’t throwing me out and they sort of already figured from how much time I spend here at your house. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And quite frankly I don’t care what my teammates or our classmates think because I’m not going to see them anyway in a few months. Yes, the rom com marathon, prom at home, those sound absolutely wonderful. But I want you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>, to have every option just like the rest of the school. I refuse to be deprived of a high school milestone, as tacky as it is, because at the end of the day we’re ordinary teenagers too. And you can say no: we still set up the living room, as you can see, and there’s champagne chilling in the fridge, in case this is more comfortable for you. But now you get to decide, on your account. Because you have been so selfless and understanding of me this whole time and for once I want to do the same.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...No more hiding,” is all Taeyong can reply with, still in shock and trying to process Jaehyun’s words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No more hiding,” assures Jaehyun, with that quietly fierce determination that Taeyong has always admired. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh...and yes, your dads have agreed to come with us. We can’t let that silver-and-turquoise tuxedo go to the dry cleaners without first blinding a whole gymnasium of high schoolers. (“Hey!” protests Ten from behind them, but only in faux indignation.) So what do you say, Tae?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I say yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>🤵🤵</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The four of them are standing in line outside the doors of the high school gymnasium, respective pairs holding hands and facing each other. Taeyong assumes everyone else is already inside, and hears the telltale sounds of footsteps and blaring pop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ten takes a deep breath, seized by flashbacks to this moment more than two decades ago, when he was wearing a similar outfit and hesitating outside these very same doors. But then Johnny ever so gently squeezes his hand, and Ten remembers that there </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> one difference: he’s going in with someone he loves. So he looks up at Johnny, nods a confident yes; and then they’re pushing at the doors and going in: Jaehyun, high school jock and campus heartthrob, holding hands with Taeyong; standing side by side with Ten and Johnny, Taeyong’s parents and their biggest supporters, who are experiencing prom twenty years after high school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one is talking, everyone is staring; but with determined steps, all four men tune out the attention and take their place at the center of the dance floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kids, you can go back to dancing now,” ventures Ten, as if surprised that they stopped to begin with. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mind your business</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his voice seems to convey, loud and clear and booming in the suddenly speechless room. And true enough one kid shouts excitedly, spurring everyone else into action, and then the whole gym is dancing to whatever Top 50 pop song is blasting from the speakers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while a ballad finally comes on; and if they weren’t already, the attendees move into pairs for the slow dance. Taeyong sets a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder, Jaehyun wraps an arm around Taeyong’s waist, and their free hands clasp together at the side. It’s Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time that plays. They both love this song.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for this, Jae. And I’m so proud of you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Tae, for giving me the courage to be myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their foreheads are touching as the chorus plays, and they mouth it to each other like the nerds that they are.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you’re lost, you can look and you will find me.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> When his dad and Jaehyun had asked him if he wanted to go to prom, he honestly did not have an answer, because he’d never imagined that he’d be here </span>
  <span>—</span>
  <span> slow dancing in the middle of the school gymnasium, surrounded by his peers (and his parents!), and with Jaehyun in front and around him, beautiful and brave, eyes locked with his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jaehyun had acceded to the idea that he’ll graduate high school without his parents and classmates knowing that he’s gay. But this beautiful man in front of him, with his steadfast support and selfless devotion, made him brave: because he knew that come what may, Taeyong would be there beside him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’ve got each other. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Time after time.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>//</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUNG JAEHYUN!!!!! u lovely lil' cupid boi</p><p>and happy valentine's, y'all! esp to my fellow single pringles out there oooooiiii</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>